12 Days of Christmas
by KagamineKagami
Summary: Based on the song of the same name. One chapter every day leading up to the 25th.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright, here's a little information before we start. Yes, this is based on the song. Traditionally, the twelve days of Christmas start on the twenty-fifth, but I thought it would be more fun to have it lead up to Christmas. There are different versions of the song, but we went with the original lyrics. Len and I will take turns writing each day until Christmas. But I do wonder why half of the gifts are some kind of bird. -Rin**

Day 1 - A partridge in a pear tree

It was December 13th, and the holiday break was tantalizingly near. One more week of school, albeit with the torture of midterms, and the students of Seishun Gakuen would be free. With the weeks of freedom so close (and yet so far), no one was focused on reviewing and studying. Instead they discussed their plans for the break, or he holidays they would be celebrating. Eventually, somehow (inevitably), the topic turned to Christmas songs.

"What's a partridge, anyway?" Momoshiro Takeshi wondered aloud in the direction of the group. The ichinen trio shrugged collectively. Ryoma sighed.

"It's a bird, baka-sempai." Katou and Kachirou were awed at their friend's knowledge. Horio bragged about his two years of bird-watching experience. Before Momo could protest the nickname, Ryoma spoke again.

"I think I'd like to see a partridge in a pear tree some day." He looked pensive.

It was in that moment that Momo decided to make it happen. If his boyfriend wanted to see that, he would make it a Christmas present.

Momo searched online when he got home that day. After explaining his plan to his parents (his mother cooing about how sweet her little baby was), he bought the necessary materials with their credit card, and while marveling at the sheer variety of what could easily be bought online, he chose the overnight shipping option.

The next day his supplies arrived, and Phase One of operation Be A Really Awesome Boyfriend (or BARAB, for short) began. This phase involved finding a good place for The Surprise to happen, and setting it up. After far too much scouting around, Momo finally decided on his backyard. No one else would let him use their space, and he didn't want to put it out in a public place to get damaged or stolen.

Now it was time for The Set-up. Momo dragged the potted pear tree around from his driveway through the back gate, positioning it smack in the middle of the yard. He dug up some old Christmas lights and strung them on the tree. Now for the bird.

Getting the partridge out of its cage was quite the undertaking. It had no desire to go sit in Momo's pear tree, and fought back every chance it got.

Eventually (after donning a pair of his mom's gardening gloves and a hockey mask he'd found in the garage) he wrestled it out of the cage. Now all he had to do was get it in the tree. But, if he let go of it, it would fly away.

"Come on, can't you just sit in the tree for a little while?! It's got pears." He added, as if that would convince the bird. The time for implementing Phase Two was rapidly approaching. Finally Momo decided to tether it to a branch of the tree, like people did with falcons or whatever.

"Don't worry, I'll let you go after he sees you." Momo tried to give the bird a pat on the head, but it snapped at him with its beak. Satisfied with his work, he went inside to call Ryoma.

After getting Ryoma to agree to come see his Surprise, he hopped on his bike and went to pick him up. After promising Echizen Nanjirou that he'd bring his son back mostly intact, he headed for their favorite burger place, to pass the time until darkness fell.

After reassuring Ryoma that, no, burgers were not The Surprise, they went in and ate enough junk food to kill a normal human being. Each.

Next stop was the street courts. Momo had found a court that didn't require that everyone played doubles, and they played until the fluorescent streetlights flickered on.

Finally the time had come. Back on the bike, Momo rode home to reveal the culmination of operation BARAB (on second thought, maybe he'd just call it operation Be Really Awesome. That would be easier to say. But wait...then it would be operation BRA. Nevermind.).

He picked Ryoma up the second his feet hit the driveway, dropping his bike in the grass and carrying the smaller boy to the backyard (with much protest from said smaller boy at being carried). He set him down at the gate.

"Do you trust me?" Ryoma nodded. "Close your eyes, then." Momo grabbed Ryoma's hand and led him to the tree.

"Okay, you can look now. Ta-daaaa!" Momo gestured at his gift, already counting operation BARAB (or BRA) a success. Then he realized the partridge was eating the pears.

"Hey, stop that!" He waved his hands around in an effort to shoo the bird away before remembering it was tethered to the tree. The startled bird squawked at him before resuming its meal. Ryoma laughed.

"Is that a partridge in a pear tree?" Momo forgot the bird for a moment and nodded proudly.

"Yep! You said you wanted to see one, so here it is!" Ryoma blinked in surprise. He hadn't meant he wanted to see it immediately, but he was pleasantly surprised at the effort Momo had put into the gift.

"Merry Christmas, Ryoma. It's kinda early, though." Momo hadn't waited very long at all, putting his plan into action immediately. It was only December 14th. But Ryoma hugged him anyway.

"Thanks, Takeshi." It wasn't the most eloquent statements of gratitude, but Ryoma didn't have to say much to get his feelings across (the rare use of Momo's real name certainly helped).

Of course, now he needed a return gift...


	2. Chapter 2

~Two Turtle Doves~

Eiji frowned at the fat little stuffed doves on the table next to the two turtle shells he'd painstakingly found and cleaned. (No turtles harmed, he'd found them dead and mostly eaten by predators-a stroke of luck really, though he did feel sorry for the little critters.) This had seemed like a much better idea before he'd started.

He tried pushing one of the toy doves through the bottom of the turtleshell, hoping it would just fit in and pop through with its head out one hole, and its wings and tail out the others. The little thing was far too plump to fit, and so Eiji abandoned that approach.

"Nyaaa, why'd they have to be turtle doves, anyway? Are those even real?" The redhead gestured wildly with the shell and the dove in separate hands as he cried out in frustration. Maybe it would fit the other way? He tried pushing it tail-first through the neck hole, but that didn't work, either.

"I'll break it in half if I push too hard!" He told the dove, making an exasperated face, then lit up with a smile. "That's it, I'll break it in half, you're a genius!" He did a little dance holding the dove and went to go find something to break the shells apart.

Finally, *finally*, he'd managed to break the turtle shells apart and glue them back together, making the doves into turtle doves. He excitedly bounced out of the room to drag Shuichiro in to see the imaginary creatures.

"Hora, Oishi, I made us turtle doves, just like the song the English teacher was telling us about!" Eiji beamed, gesturing proudly at the two 'turtle doves'.

"Eiji..." Shuichiro didn't know how to explain the translation error, so he just grinned at how cute the little avians were. "They're really cute, are you sure I can have one?"

"Yup, this one's for you, 'cause it's the genius one!"

**AN: Hi, nice to finally greet y'all for realzies! :P *casually Texan* I hope you enjoy this series and that we can bring you a bit of holiday cheer, even if you don't celebrate Christmas. I apologize for any out of character bits. I also wish to make it known that Eiji's turtle dove isn't exactly the same as the actual bird, there is a species known as the turtle dove. Thanks for reading! ~Len :3**


	3. Chapter 3

Day 3 - Three French hens

The regulars of the Hyotei tennis team were having a weekend practice at Atobe Keigo's house. He, being obscenely wealthy, had his own private tennis courts. However, their practice was delayed by the absence of Akutagawa Jirou. They had called him, but he had assured them that he would be there, he was just running late, and had asked if they would wait for him. So wait they did.

Eventually Jirou came dashing through the gates of the Atobe mansion, holding a wooden crate. The others came outside to meet him, and Jirou set his crate down.

"Guys! Guess what I have!"

"A box?" Gakuto offered. Jirou shook his head fast enough to make a normal person dizzy.

"No, it's what's in the box!" And he removed the lid. Three little heads poked out.

Jirou took three chickens from the crate and set them down, whereupon they immediately began exploring their new surroundings and pecking at the ground. His friends stared at the poultry.

"Ore-sama demands to know why you have brought *chickens* to practice." Atobe gazed at the birds, who were oblivious to the people around them, looking less than thrilled.

"They're not just any chickens, they're from France! The man I bought them from guaranteed it. And their names are Josephine, Belle, and Haruko." He'd decided pretty much arbitrarily on those names.

"You paid for these?" Gakuto had knelt down by the chickens and was attempting to poke the one Jirou had called Josephine. Needless to say, it was displeased.

"Yep! Twenty thousand yen." Gakuto looked up from the distressed bird.

"Two thousand? For chickens?" Even for a Hyotei student, who could certainly afford it, that was a high price. The chicken Gakuto had been bothering was still looking displeased, but Atobe was currently making a face that suggested his displeasure greatly surpassed the bird's.

"Why, exactly, did you buy chickens?" Jirou made a little noise of excitement.

"Oh, oh, oh, that's the best part! See, the guy who sold them to me said it would be like the Christmas song if I got three. Y'know, three French hens? So they're a present for all of you!" Silence. Suddenly no one had the heart to tell him he paid too much, and Atobe didn't mind the poultry destroying his beautiful lawn (well, maybe just a little).

And then Shishido spoke up.

"How are we gonna divide up three hens between nine people?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Len has a really hard final exam to study for, so I covered for her and wrote this chapter. Wish her luck, and maybe give her a review when she comes back? It'd be her first. *wink* This chapter was her idea, and all I did was write it. -Rin**

Day 4 - Four calling birds

It was the holiday season, and Fuji Shusuke was all for spreading he holiday cheer, especially when it gave him an opportunity to torment...that is, share with his team captain.

He had heard about Momo's gift to Ryoma, and Eiji's turtle doves, and the chickens Jirou of Hyotei had bought, so he thought he would follow their lead and continue the chain. Next in line was four calling birds. He would need other people, though. But then, persuading people to help him had never been a problem.

He convinced Momo to join him (though he was a willing participant), and then set about recruiting his younger brother Yuuta (who was less willing). It took all of his persuasive skills and maybe even a little bit of blackmail, but he labeled his plan a "family bonding activity" and practically dragged Yuuta from their house, with parental approval on top of everything.

They needed only one more, so Momo was given the task of persuading Ryoma to join them. Even years in the future no one knew how he'd done it, but Ryoma was somehow made to agree to the plan (even if he didn't know what said plan entailed).

Shusuke had borrowed bird costumes from the theatre department. The students in charge of costumes happened to be members of his fan club, and would do anything when smiled at in the right way.

After he and Momo had changed, they forced the other two members of their party to do the same, Ryoma being difficult every chance he got, and Yuuta sighing and wanting to "get this over with already" so he could go home. It was no mean feat, but at last, they were ready. So they hunted down...er, casually went looking for Tezuka Kunimitsu.

When they found the poor boy, they surrounded him. He looked slightly confused, but only if you knew him well enough to tell. It was then that the four "birds" began calling, though it was really just chanting.

"Buchou! Buchou! Tezuka! Buchou! Kunimitsu!" It was enough to give anyone a headache. The noise went on for a few minutes, drawing the attention of everyone on the courts. Finally, Tezuka had had enough.

"Forty laps for all of you." Momo and Yuuta protested.

"This wasn't part of the plan, Fuji-sempai!"

"I don't even go to this school!"

But Shusuke made puppy dog eyes at his friend. "Would you really give us laps for spreading Christmas cheer? It's Christmas." Tezuka merely straightened his glasses.

"Not for another nine days, it isn't. Now go run before I add twenty more as a "Christmas gift"."


	5. Chapter 5

Day 5 - Five golden rings

Kawamura Takashi was always invited to Fuji family holidays. At least, that's what Shusuke's mother, Fuji Yoshiko, had told him. But he was more than a little nervous about going to his first Christmas with his boyfriend's family.

He'd bought them each a small gift, but he wasn't sure if they'd like them. It had seemed like a better idea before he started walking to the Fuji house. Now, as he shuffled along the sidewalk in the cold, he was less and less sure of his presents. Little flakes of snow were falling, and he let them distract him from his worries.

After a short walk in the falling snow Taka reached Shusuke's front door. He stood out in the cold a moment longer before working up the courage to knock. Yumiko, Shusuke's older sister, answered it.

"Hello, Taka-kun. Come in." He stepped in, sliding his shoes off and setting them neatly in the entryway, toes pointing towards the door. Yumiko waited for him before going back to the living room.

"Shusuke, Taka-kun is here." Shusuke got up from his chair and gave Taka a hug, pulling him gently by the hand towards the couch while murmuring reassuring things. Taka felt a little better, but his worries hadn't disappeared completely.

Games were played, stories told, and food eaten. After dinner they moved back to the living room and sat in the same spots they had earlier. It was time for presents. Taka pulled five small boxes from various pockets in his coat and waited.

Gifts were sorted through by Yumiko and given to the person whose name was written on the tag. To his surprise, Taka even had a few. Yuuta had gotten him some overgrip in a brand he liked. Yumiko had gotten him and Shusuke matching cell phone straps, because "they're cute" or something like that. Yoshiko and and Shusuke's father had gotten him a little Christmas ornament in the shape of a happy piece of sushi, with a cute little face on it. Now it was his turn.

Taka passed the little boxes around through Yumiko, who was Queen of the Presents, and waited for everyone to open them. Inside each box was a ring, a simple golden band. He took a deep breath.

"Um...I wanted to get you all something, because you're all important to me. T-there are engravings in the rings." He had put a lot of thought into the messages engraved on the inside of each ring. Shusuke's parents' had a few words thanking them for being his second family. Yumiko's had a short message about how grateful he was for her support and help in problem-solving. Yuuta's thanked him for hanging out with Taka and playing video games with him. Shusuke's had been the easiest to write down for the engraver. Just a few words: _Forever and always._

The Fuji family admired their rings, thanking Taka for "such a thoughtful present" and trying them on. Everyone was pleased with the gifts, and Taka finally let out a small sigh of relief.

They all gravitated towards the kitchen for hot chocolate with tiny marshmallows and Christmas cookies. By the time they finished eating and someone looked out the window, they realized the snow had started piling up outside. Yoshiko wouldn't even hear of Taka leaving.

"Taka, sweetie, you can't walk home in that. Why don't you call your parents and ask if you can spend the night here?" He did, and his dad told him it was alright.

So after watching a few Christmas movies, they all went to their bedrooms. Taka borrowed some of Shusuke's father's clothes to sleep in, since Shusuke's would have been too small. After someone had found him a spare toothbrush to use and he had brushed his teeth, he went back to Shusuke's room and sat on the end of the bed. He and Shusuke talked for a little while, until Yoshiko walked past the open door to the room on her way to bed. She stopped in the doorway.

"Good night, boys." She fixed Shusuke with a no-nonsense Look of Motherhood. "And dear? Taka's staying in the guest room. The rest of us want to get some sleep tonight."


	6. Chapter 6

~Six Geese A-laying~

**AN: Hey guys, I'm back! Sorry I missed my last one, I hope you liked Rin's brilliant twist on my idea~ :3 Breaking our little pattern of having all of these being gifts, instead I've chosen to present a little blurb for Shusuke and Taka as little kids (probably about ten years old or so). Also, geese are terrifying, they have teeth and will chase you. Please enjoy! ~Len**

Taka ran away from the loudly honking creatures that were after nothing more than the bit of bread that he no longer had. He was much bigger than them, even as a child, but they were so *scary*! The things had teeth, for crying out loud! He ran a little faster. Maybe they'd give up after a while?

He stumbled a bit, clumsy with the height he still wasn't used to, and the honking came a little closer. "I d-don't have it anymore, geese!" He tried to inform the geese of his lack of bread, but they didn't seem to care much. He hopped onto a nearby bench, hoping they'd leave him alone if he looked even taller, like an adult.

Unfortunately for him, the geese were uncannily good at reading human body language and could tell he was scared. They swarmed the bench, but didn't get up on it. A small blessing.

"Hey!" A familiar voice spoke sharply, and Taka looked over to see his friend, Shusuke. He'd chosen to open his eyes, and he was glaring intensely at the geese.

"If you don't leave my friend alone, I'll have to show you my cactus collection..." Although it seemed a bit odd, it was somehow scary when little Fuji said it, his voice quiet and cold. The geese left quickly, one giving Fuji an annoyed parting honk before flying away.

"Th-thanks, Shusuke-kun..." Taka sat down on the bench a tad shakily, giving a sigh of relief. Shusuke smiled brightly and sat next to him.

"No problem. It's not fair of them to be so mean to you, since you're nice to everyone."

"Oh, I don't know about that..." Taka looked down at his feet shyly, swinging them to give himself something to do. Shusuke just smiled.

"I'll have to get you a thank-you gift..." Taka spoke again quietly.

"You don't have to do that."

"But it could also be like a Christmas present, since it's so close to Christmas. How about a Christmas cactus to add to your collection?"

"That sounds nice, if it isn't too much trouble."

"Of course it isn't, you saved me from the geese!" Taka looked at him like he was a hero.

"If you really think so, I'd be very happy to receive something like that."

The doorbell of Fuji Shusuke's house rang. Pattering feet ran to answer the door. Shusuke had been doing that ever since Taka had mentioned he'd be dropping by soon with the present.

"Taka!" Shusuke grinned and noticed the little pot wrapped in a blanket that Taka held. It had a little red bow on it.

"Merry Christmas, Shusuke-kun!"


	7. Chapter 7

**I know paddle boats are usually for two people, but imagine there's a big one for a whole group. -Rin**

Day 7 - Seven swans a-swimming

It was the Christmas season, and as such, even the fearsome Sanada Genichiro tried to be more patient with his team, especially their youngest, Kirihara Akaya. But right now he was having quite a bit of trouble with that. It was hard to be patient when he was peddling a paddle boat as fast as he could, with people asking him to go faster.

This whole mess had started when Akaya asked if the Rikkai regulars could go to a nearby lake for the day. Yukimura had agreed, since it was around the holidays. They'd rented a paddleboat and forced Jackal and Sanada to pedal.

There were swans out on the lake, and Akaya had brought several loaves of bread to feed them with. At the moment, Niou was throwing the bread *at* the birds, rather than to them, trying to see if he could hit them. Yagyuu watched, considering joining him.

Akaya was leaning as far over the side of the boat as he could, trying to get the swans to eat out of his hand. Marui was holding onto Akaya's shirt in an effort to keep him from falling overboard. Yukimura sat in the prow, as if surveying his kingdom. Renji was in the back with his notebook, calculating the chances of Akaya falling in (98.7%), Niou getting in some sort of trouble (93.4%), and the boat being overturned, soaking everyone (83.5%).

Yukimura looked back at Sanada and Jackal. "Can you go a little faster, please?" He smiled in his mildly terrifying way. Yagyuu had joined Niou in annoying the birds. Jackal grimaced, but sped up nonetheless, forcing Sanada to match his pace to keep the boat from going in circles.

Niou and Yagyuu had by now drawn most of the swans on the lake to the side of the boat. Akaya was still trying to get the same swan to eat from his hand, and still failing. Renji was concerned with the 99.99% chance his notebook would get wet, and wished he had something waterproof to put it in.

After a few minutes at the faster pace, Jackal spoke up. "Anyone else want to take a turn pedaling?" He sounded hopeful, but he knew no one would trade with him. Marui was the only one to reply.

"Can't you go any faster? I wanna get back to the shore for lunch." They had brought a picnic, and the cupcakes were calling to the tensai.

"If you want to go faster, you can pedal." Jackal was irked.

Marui decided he didn't want to wait for lunch, and tried to reach the picnic basket with one hand, since he was still holding a fistful of Akaya's shirt in the other. He was almost there, with his fingertips touching the basket, when Akaya suddenly leaned over even more, having spotted a fish. Marui was unprepared and off balance, and fell in the direction Akaya had jerked him, knocking into Akaya, who began flailing wildly in a vain attempt not to fall into the water.

Unfortunately, all this did was cause the boat to rock dangerously. Then Niou stood up, and the whole thing flipped over, dumping them in the lake. Akaya and Marui began arguing over whose fault it was the second their mouths were above water.

Yagyuu surfaced next to Niou. "You did that on purpose, didn't you." It was a rhetorical question, they both knew he had taken advantage of the situation and made it worse. Niou grinned.

"Weren't you just saying earlier how nice it would be to go for a swim?"


	8. Chapter 8

~Eight Maids A-Milking~

**AN: This was actually a bit hard for me to write-I don't know Rikkai super well-but I did my best. This was mostly Rin's idea, and it's because of her that this chapter happened at all. Thanks for reading! ~Len**

'It's Christmas', he'd said. 'It'll be fun', he'd said. 'A bonding experience for the team', he'd said. Kirihara Akaya sure knew how to twist his upperclassmen around his little finger. Sanada sighed, knowing this day was going to turn out quite...eventful. Yukimura gave him a bit of a smile, eyes glinting mischievously.

"Today will be interesting, don't you think, Sanada?" The tensai asked lightly. Sanada merely grunted in reply. 'Interesting' usually meant 'busy for the cocaptain', when it came to them. And he most certainly wasn't wrong.

Somehow, Akaya had convinced the rest of the Rikkai team that going to a little farm fair was a good idea, so here they were, in the middle of a corn maze. Sanada snagged Akaya by the collar of his shirt as he tried to leave the group to explore the maze alone.

"Akaya, stay with the group." He scolded, waiting for the first year to nod before releasing him.

Soon, the team had tired of the maze, and moved on to other activities. There were little duck races, where you pumped water to send a little rubber duck down a track. Sanada had his hands full trying to prevent a full-on water war that would've gotten many of the other people there completely soaked.

There were large barrel-type wheels that one could run in as though they were hamster balls. Akaya was the first to hop into one, which seemed safe enough at first, but Niou and Marui smirked at each other and shoved it along as fast as they could. Sanada sprinted to catch up scolding them at the end when he saw that Akaya had tripped and almost fallen out.

When they'd finished trying everything that could possibly go wrong-or so Sanada thought-they made their way to the barn, where you could learn how to milk a cow. Sanada sat on a stool in the corner and leaned against the wall...he was tired. Luckily, the other seven seemed content to just try milking the cow like the girl there showed them. For a while.

Then, Akaya, with a crooked grin, nudged Niou as he was milking the cow, causing the milk to spray onto both him and Marui. Renji stayed in the back as this occurred, muttering to himself. Sanada sighed and fixed the three of them with a glare.

It took them a while to notice, but at least they had the good grace to look ashamed. The girl who had taught them to milk the cow was just laughing and righting the overturned bucket and stool.

"Sorry, Fukubuchou..." Akaya said.

"Tarundoru." Sanada sighed and motioned for them to go on.

They finished up and got onto the bus home, filling in the back few seats. None of them realized until after they'd been goofing around unscolded for a while that Sanada had fallen asleep, his arms crossed and his head leaning against the window. Yukimura laughed a little.

"Poor Genichiro, we're such a handful..."


	9. Chapter 9

~Nine Ladies Dancing~

**AN: This took me so long to write, I'm so sorry! I might even need to add more later, we'll see. I hope you like my little spin on Rin's idea, and I'll let her explain a little about the Japanese culture references in the story. ~Len**

**Right, explanations: when you go to someone's house, there are set phrases you use. The host says "****どうぞ、あげて下さい****" (douzo, agete kudasai), which is like "please, come in". The guest then says "****おじゃまします****" (ojamashimasu), which is sort of like apologizing in advance for the trouble/inconvenience you're causing by visiting. **

**Len did a great job with this. All I had was a vague idea that Atobe and Tezuka should go to a dance, and I knew she would be better at writing it than I would, so I gave it to her. -Rin**

The loud chime of the doorbell rang through Tezuka Kunimitsu's house. There was a pause of about two minutes, then- "Kunimitsu! Keigo is here to see you!"

Not that it was surprising for his boyfriend to visit, but he usually texted first... Kunimitsu looked over at his phone. Twelve messages?! He must've been too focused on his work to notice... He shook his head and ran down the stairs.

"Thanks, mom." His mother smiled and went to continue what she'd been doing. "どうぞあげて下さい。" He stepped aside to let Keigo in.

"おじゃまします。" Keigo stepped inside, removing his shoes and placing them neatly, toes facing away from the door. They went up to Kunimitsu's room, and Kunimitsu turned to Keigo questioningly.

"What was it you needed?" The Seishun captain furrowed his brow. Atobe laughed and leaned forward to embrace him, pressing their foreheads together.

"Do I need a reason to want to see my boyfriend?" Atobe went up on his tiptoes to give Kunimitsu a peck on the lips.

"Well...no, but I figured you had one, since I missed twelve texts while I was working." Kunimitsu raised an eyebrow and tilted his head.

"W-well..." Clearly Keigo's purpose was something he was nervous about. That, of course, only made Kunimitsu more interested.

"It's okay... No need to be nervous." In a rare show of affection, Kunimitsu brought a hand up to cup Keigo's cheek.

"I was invited to a dance... A-and I was wondering if maybe you could come...as my partner?" He stuttered through the invitation, then looked at Kunimitsu hopefully.

"Of course I will, I wouldn't have you accompanied by any other."


	10. Chapter 10

**The book was the first thing that I found when I Googled today's gift, and I thought I may as well use it. I'm really sorry it's late again, but today was a pretty busy day for both of us. -Rin**

Day 10 - Ten lords a-leaping

The Inui family was having an early Christmas with various relatives from Sadaharu's father's family at his grandfather's house. Several of the uncles and aunts didn't know what to make of Sadaharu.

"What do we get him? Does he do anything besides tennis?" They would say, and buy him socks or something else he didn't need or want. But somehow one second cousin thrice-removed got lucky, and Sadaharu received a present he liked.

Sadaharu was fond of mystery novels, and the gift, Ten Lords A-Leaping, seemed both intriguing and seasonally appropriate. So after thanking all the people he was supposedly related to but didn't really remember for their 'thoughtful' gifts, he snuck away to an empty guest room.

He closed and locked the door behind him so he wouldn't be disturbed, and sat down on the carefully made bed, opening the book. For the next few hours, while the grandparents and nephews and nieces made as much noise as was humanly possible, Sadaharu read, took notes, worked out clues, second guessed, backtracked, made charts, and everything else imaginable to figure out who the killer was. Eventually he slid under the covers of the bed for warmth, propping himself up with pillows as he deduced and analyzed.

There was only a 12% chance he was wrong.


	11. Chapter 11

Day 11 - Eleven pipers piping

**The only thing we could think of was the story of the pied piper, so here's a TeniPuri version. This is set in the 1200s, but it's not quite Germany. Enjoy~ -Rin**

Kamio Akira was looking for work. He had travelled to the town of Fudomine to seek his fortune, but so far, he hadn't found a single yen.

Everyone here, or, rather, everyone he _saw_ seemed to be either beating on someone or *being* beaten on. He wondered...maybe he could use his..._talents_ to help this little town. For a fee, of course.

Akira asked around and eventually located the mayor, Tachibana Kippei. Tachibana wanted nothing more than to see the town cleaned up, and promised Akira that the honest townspeople would pay him well for getting rid of the undesirable gang.

With the promise of good, solid money and a job that wouldn't leave a bad taste in his mouth, Akira went to work. He went all the way to the far end of the town and raised his pipe to his lips. Within seconds, a sprightly tune lilted through the streets, inexplicably drawing every gang member to follow the sound.

He made them feel the rhythm, leading them out of town and towards the nearest port. People stared as they passed, but Akira drew the gang onto a ship about to depart, continuing to play from the dock until it was out of hearing range.

It was amusing-more so than it would be good to admit-to think about them raging and cursing on the boat after realizing what had happened. But an even sweeter thought was how much money he was going to have. If everyone left in the town gave him just five hundred yen...why, he'd have quite a lot, then, wouldn't he? He hurried back, ready for his pockets to be heavy and his every step to jingle with coin.

Tachibana thanked him earnestly, but some of the other townspeople didn't want to pay up. They said he couldn't prove he was responsible for the gang leaving, maybe they had all wandered away on their own. Obviously this was ridiculous, but they wouldn't give him a crust of bread, much less money.

This made Akira angry. They couldn't just make an agreement with him and then break their end of the deal. So he posed to the townspeople an ultimatum. "Until you pay me, not one of your precious children-the very ones who you wished me to help protect-will return. They leave tonight." With this threat, he left the town hall to the jeering of disbelieving adults. No youth of his stature could possibly possess that kind of power, they argued. They'd change their tune soon enough.

He went out into the middle of the street and began playing again. The doors of houses up and down the street opened and children came outside. Unnoticed by Akira, one boy stuck his head out of his window to see what was going on, but didn't follow.

This little boy, an odd child by the name of Shinji, had a habit of muttering to himself. Luckily for him, he just so happened to be far enough away that his muttering drowned out Akira's magical tune, and he could simply bear witness. "Why are they all following him? Don't they know they oughtn't follow a stranger? It's dangerous, they're going to get themselves hurt..." His constant monologue went on and on as he watched the piper lead the children away. Perhaps he ought to tell an adult... Although it seemed too late now, the piper was far out of sight.

When the adults finally realized what had happened, the children were long gone, taken to a remote cave for the time being. Eventually someone pointed out that Shinji hadn't been taken, and they asked him what had happened to the others.

"They left, followed that piper right out of town. They must have forgotten that they aren't supposed to follow strangers, but I remembered..." The adults now all looked very worried, ignoring Shinji and the rest of his mutterings. They decided that the piper really was telling the truth and they ought to have paid him in the first place, like they'd agreed to.

When Akira came strolling back into town the next day, they begged to have their children back, trying to force upon him the money they owed him. But he wouldn't hear of it. For their dishonesty, they would have to be punished. He would accept nothing less than seven times the original amount promised to him.

Of course, for each individual person to pay thirty-five hundred yen (considering that this town was a rather prosperous one) wasn't a terribly out-of-reach goal. However, the townspeople weren't happy with the deal. They complained that it was far too much money to demand, that their first price was at least reasonable. This made Akira even angrier. "You'd break your deal with _me_ and then accuse _me_ of cheating _you_?!"

Tachibana managed to calm everyone down, persuading them to meet halfway. The fee should be raised to punish the people, but not quite so high, he said. Reluctantly, both parties agreed.

The village would pay three times the original fee, and Akira would return every single child with not a single hair harmed. So that night, Akira went back to the cave and played his pipe again, bringing the children back home.

Every parent in town rejoiced, and Akira went on his merry way, whistling to himself and counting his money. After he was satisfied that he'd decided the full amount, he thought about the past two days. Maybe he could see if his services were needed in other towns. Hopefully they'd pay when they were supposed to, but if they didn't, he knew what to do.


	12. Chapter 12

Day 12 - Twelve drummers drumming

**It's the last chapter! Merry Christmas and happy holidays, whatever you're celebrating. Also, Fuji's birthday is on Leap Day. -Rin**

**Happy holidays! I hope you all enjoy the final chapter of this! It was a bit tough, but we did it~ For this one and the previous one, Rin and I took turns writing paragraphs-lucky thing our writing styles mesh so well, huh? ALSO Happy New Year (in like a week shut up Len)~~! ~Len**

Fuji Shusuke liked to celebrate birthdays. Maybe it was because he didn't get one every year. Or maybe it was just that his friends' birthdays were an excellent opportunity to cause trouble. Like today, for example. It was Echizen Ryoma's birthday, and Shusuke was sure his kouhai needed some help celebrating.

Since music was obviously the language that transcended all linguistic difference, Shusuke figured that it would be as good a way of celebrating as any. But it had to be something almost anyone could do...so that left singing and drumming.

He decided on drumming, since he wasn't so sure about everyone's ability to sing. But the birthday festivity needed to stand out from all the Christmas activity going on, so the plan would need more people. Shusuke called Yukimura from Rikkai, since they were friends, and Yukimura agreed to lend him Niou, Marui, and Akaya.

Being the loving brother he was, he also blackmailed...that is, persuaded Yuuta to come along. After ensuring that each person had a drum, the little group made their way to Ryoma's house and Shusuke cheerfully rang the father answered the door, took one look at the group assembled on his doorstep, and grinned. "This is gonna be good, let me get the video camera."

Shusuke grinned widely, glad Ryoma's father was so willing to allow them to torture...or, rather, help Ryoma celebrate his birthday. They waited patiently while he got the video camera.

"Come in, come in." Nanjirou waved them through the door and closed it softly, holding a finger to his lips and snickering. "Seishounen's in his room."

Shusuke beamed at the man and gestured for him to lead the way. Perhaps it would be more amusing for him to let Ryoma know vaguely what was coming for him... Nanjirou made his way upstairs with childish glee.

Ryoma didn't look up from his tennis magazine when the door opened. Nanjirou ran in and snatched it from him. "It's your birthday and you're just sitting here in your room?"

Shusuke decided to let the conversation play out for a while. There would certainly be a bit of clashing heads, and it was, as usual, sure to have some choice dialogue. He would get everyone inside when the time was right. That was what a good friend did, wasn't it? Made sure he was always there at the right time?

Nanjirou tried to hurry the argument, eventually asking why his son wasn't spending the day with his friends. That was their cue. They paraded in, banging on the drums without any sort of rhythm or synchronization.

Ryoma rolled his eyes and sat there looking bored as they happily drummed. For the first minute or so, anyway. Then, there was a slow progression that Shusuke was the first to notice as Ryoma became annoyed and probably gained a headache.

He stopped drumming and held up a hand to indicate to the others that they should stop. There was a chorus of birthday wishes for Ryoma, and one "merry Christmas" somewhere in the back.

_Baka oyaji..._ Ryoma hadn't noticed the camera until it was already too late to do anything about it. He wasn't really surprised, though. Not that his father had allowed this or that he'd taped the entire thing. Luckily, he'd controlled his facial expression perfectly. It was likely that no one besides Momo and maybe Shusuke could tell that he appreciated the gesture, loud and obnoxious though it was.

"Thanks. Bye." Ryoma took his magazine back and went back to reading. His sempai erupted in protest, and he hid a small smile behind the magazine.


End file.
